Ancient Chinese Wisdom & The Secret to Success

Is knowing our own divine nature, the real secret to our success? Over the last 20 years, I have studied and practiced Chinese Medicine and, as well as reading their pulse, one of the first questions I always start with is, “So how does your body feel today?” Mostly, I hear replies such as “depleted, exhausted, ruined, burnt out.”

But what never ceases to amaze me is how quick many people are to make excuses for the way they’re feeling, “But everyone is this stressed” or “All new parents are this tired” or “None of my team at work has over 6 hours sleep” as quick as they are to tell me how they feel, they’re almost quicker at patching it over with the excuse.

Sadly, being stressed or being tired has become somewhat of a badge of honor in today’s world. Like frogs in a pot of hot water, we seem to have lost our way when it comes to our health, particularly our mental health. I mean everyone else seems to be struggling, feeling anxious or totally tired, so it must be normal — right? Wrong.

We can become so mentally driven and consumed by external influences to the point that our original nature or higher self has no choice but to follow our human will off course.

At this point you might find yourself hitting burn out, or in a health or relationship crisis wondering how you got there as you thought you were ‘doing everything right’.

IS KNOWING YOUR OWN, DIVINE NATURE, THE REAL SECRET TO SUCCESS?

At the heart of Chinese Medicine is homeostasis; that is, nourishing the mind, body and soul back to their natural state. Homeostasis can be defined as “the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions.” This isn’t a spiritual statement, but the intelligence that keeps you breathing, blinking and your cells turning over at a pre-organized rate, is the EXACT same intelligence we can tap into to govern the magically guided path of our lives. Simply one breath and one bread crumb at a time.

Given the opportunity, any opportunity actually, our innate self, our inner blueprint will lead the way back to our original nature and start the process back to homeostasis. There is no karma, no payback no price to pay for all the ‘bad’ things you did or the ways you mistreated yourself. Our divine intelligence, simply and with ease, if we let it, will course correct.

To quote the cryptic, ancient Chinese:

“A river is always headed east.” (toward the sea, that is)

So, too are we always headed East even if we find ourselves temporarily going north. Our true path knows no obstruction, just a detour. I know this to be true.

The struggle I believe that we encounter with this way of living, is the fact that there is no one size fits all model and it takes an enormous amount of self-responsibility. We actually need to take the time to get to know ourselves (what a radical notion) and for women currently living in many places around the world I feel it’s important here to acknowledge that in doing this, we are enjoying the hard won privileges of the women who came before us. Many of us are creating lives that are the first of their kind.

To get to know ourselves takes time, care and patience. It’s like any other relationship that has grown and blossomed over the years, where time and experiences together forges understanding, respect and love. It’s not selfish or self absorbed to give ourselves this time and space to cultivate this relationship. It is a privilege, and should be treated as such.

It comes as quite the radical life path to initiate women into the realm of self-respect and the alchemical understanding of their divine nature. The flow on effect in their worlds and the community at large makes the vast personal investment more than worth it.

So what can you do if you find yourself at one of these crossroads?

When you feel like you are being asked to course correct or at least pause and check your GPS but you’re not sure where to look? I like to start with these four questions.

Where are you seeking permission?

At the heart of most resentment and disappointment is the belief that someone or something outside of yourself is needed to give you the permission to work less, ask for a raise, have a nap or support yourself in some other way. Back yourself wholeheartedly.

Where in your day can you nourish yourself?

This can sound overly simple but honestly what is it that you need? Be brave enough to ask yourself, you might be surprised. How might you get to bed earlier, squeeze some more green onto your plate, or remove some toxic experiences from your day?

Where can you claim your power back?

This can be a little more confronting as when we begin to evolve how we show up in our lives, not everyone is going to be thrilled. They don’t have to be. Self-responsibility isn’t about having to do it all ourselves but taking ownership for what we want to create in our lives. At its deepest level this is about authentically listening to yourself and honoring the answers your receive.

How can you go with the flow of your inherent nature?

Know that in nature, everything has its season. In Chinese Medicine, healing occurs at the meeting point of the five elements. It also takes into account the seasons and many other natural cycles that occur in the body and on planet Earth. The moon isn’t full all month, nor are plants in flower or in fruit all year. So too our health, achievements and life experiences will wax and wane. If we can see ourselves in this context; our ability to tap into our own divine intelligence becomes our most successful way of operating.

Can you imagine what success you might enjoy if you went with the flow of your inherent nature instead of against it?

One Response

Love this article Keri, thank you. And especially question four. As someone who has spent so much time seemingly swimming up stream, it’s a relief to know that I can trust the natural order of things and that my body just ‘knows’ what you do.